


The Best Exotic Marigold Tour Service

by Ssirius_Blackk



Series: Rumbelle fic gift exchanges [1]
Category: Once Upon a Time (TV), The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel (Movies)
Genre: Diwali, F/M, Rumbelle Christmas in July, Rumbelle Christmas in July 2016, crossover AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-07-23
Updated: 2016-07-23
Packaged: 2018-07-26 04:57:09
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 5,938
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7561303
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ssirius_Blackk/pseuds/Ssirius_Blackk
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>By some divine intervention, Belle French took the trip of the lifetime to India and celebrate Diwali, the Festival of Lights. There she meets the mysterious and intriguing Mr. Gold.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

  * For [BetweenPaperPages](https://archiveofourown.org/users/BetweenPaperPages/gifts).



> Happy Rumbelle Christmas in July! The prompt was travelling companion, spices, stars and India. This is a bit of a crossover au of both films, even though I really only use two characters. Out of respect for the Indian culture, I used the actual dates of Diwali for this year, which happens start the day before Halloween. So at least it's a little bit of a holiday fic.

Belle’s fingertips hovered over the keyboard of her laptop. She looked between the screen and her hands for several minutes, nibbling on her bottom lip as she went through an internal debate.

Now wasn’t the time to take a vacation. A much needed a vacation, to be sure, but the timing of this amazing deal she’d found was really inopportune. Not with Halloween just around the corner, and this year the Storybrooke Library was chosen to be the haunted house, despite her adamant protests. Her friend Ruby Lucas offered to help, and while Belle appreciated the thought, the idea of making something nobody really cared for barely sparked her interest.

But the thought of travelling through India was too good to pass up.

The vibration from her phone scared her out of her musings. She reached for the phone, and saw that Ruby was calling.

“H-hey, Ruby.” Belle greeted.

“Hey! So what are you going to do about the haunted house?” Ruby asked.

“I…I, um…” Belle mumbled.

“Because we have less than a week to get the ball rolling, and…”

Belle tuned Ruby out. It was nice of her friend to help her, but she realized she just couldn’t take it anymore.

“I’m going to India!” Belle blurted out.

The line fell silent for a long time. Belle took the time to grab her credit card and type in her information to the tour service’s website.

“ _WHAT?!”_ Ruby yelled.

“I’m going to India for Halloween.” Belle said, clicking the submit button.

“ _India?_ You’re going to _India_ for _Halloween?!”_ Ruby echoed. “Do they even _celebrate_ Halloween?”

“I don’t think so. And even if they do, they’re not going to this year. The day before Halloween is the beginning of their Festival of Lights.”

“So, you’re abandoning your responsibilities, your _commitments, just_ to watch some people celebrate a bunch of lights?!”

Belle was tempted to correct her, but she could tell by Ruby’s shrill tone that she wasn’t going to listen.

“Ruby, I’m doing this, whether you like it or not.” Belle said firmly before hanging up the phone.

Belle took a deep, steadying breath before going to check her e-mail. She smiled when she saw the subject line to the newest e-mail.

**_Thank you for joining The Best Exotic Marigold Tour Service._ **


	2. Dhanteras

Rupert Gold rested his cane on the edge of the hotel’s balcony as he leaned over it. The sprawling, vibrant city of Jaipur lay before him, looking more pink than usual as the sun started to set. He took the time to really appreciate the quiet, for he knew as soon as he left his hotel room and started making his way through India, there would be no room for silence.

“Mr. Gold? Excuse me, Mr. Gold?” a heavily accented voice interrupted his musings.

Gold closed his eyes and sighed. He wished the silence had lasted a little while longer.

“What is it?” he hissed, turning to face Sonny Kapoor, the overtly eloquent and obnoxiously eager owner of the Best Exotic Marigold Tour Service.

“Our most esteemed American guest from the cold shores of Maine has finally arrived! We will now be able to leave as scheduled,” Sonny explained. “If you could please follow me, Mr. Gold, we can have you meet her, and then we shall go into town and join in the joyous celebration that is Dhanteras, the first day of Diwali!”

Gold gave a curt nod. Sonny gestured for the older man to follow him down the stairs.

“If I may be so bold, Mr. Gold, but it is rather wonderfully auspicious that you are here during Dhanteras,” Sonny said as they walked.

“Is that right, dearie?” Gold asked.

“Oh, yes. For you see, Dhanteras is in honor of the Goddess of Wealth Laxmi. In fact, the word ‘dhan’ is easily translated to mean ‘wealth’. And you, Mr. Gold, are clearly a wealthy man. In both name and financially.”

Gold gave a quiet grunt of understanding. Sonny was about to say more when they reached the bottom of the steps and he cried out in welcome when he saw the back of a woman with long, chestnut hair.

“Ah, Miss French!” Sonny exclaimed. “May I humbly introduce you to our most honorable guest and your most fortunate fellow traveler, Mr. Ru-pet Gold.”

Gold glared at the young man at the mispronunciation of his first name. The woman then turned around, and Gold felt the wind get knocked out of him. Her bright blue eyes caught his attention first as they unintentionally pierced into his. Then he saw her wide smile as she held out her hand.

“Hi, I’m Belle French, it’s nice to meet you.” She said.

Gold reached for her hand and gave it a curt shake. “ _Rupert_ Gold. And the pleasure is mine, Miss French.”

Belle giggled and her smile widened.

Sonny’s constant smile dropped for briefly at the realization of his mistake. He quickly composed himself before speaking again. He clapped his hands together and smiled widely. “Excellent! Now that we are all well and happily acquainted, may I humbly suggest we begin our tour through the large, sprawling, intoxicating city of my home Jaipur.”

Sonny turned on his heel and walked through the entrance on his left. Belle and Gold were left in his wake.

An awkward silence fell between them, until Gold cleared his throat and gestured towards the door.

“After you, dearie.” He said.

Belle smiled once more and gave a mumbled “thank you” as she led the way to the sitting room, with Gold limping behind her.

They were greeted by a pretty young woman named Sunaina, who introduced herself as one of the tour guides who would be accompanying them for the next five days. Sonny impatiently waited for the introductions to finish before he went on to describe the Dhanteras traditions.

“As you can see, the city has decorated its offices and homes with beautiful, awe-inspiring motifs to honor and welcome the Goddess of Wealth and Prosperity Laxmi. As we walk through the city, you will notice many houses have very small and tiny footprints outlined with rice flour and vermillion powder to indicate her long awaited arrival. To be sure that the Goddess is not lost, we keep lamps burning throughout the night,” Sonny explained. “We are currently walking to one of the more prosperous and enticing marketplaces Jaipur has to offer to purchase the precious metals of gold and silver in any material you so wish and desire, and perhaps find a number of lovely utensils to purchase as well. These items are considered delightfully auspicious and will bring good luck.”

“What else do you do to celebrate?” Belle wondered.

“It is most interesting that you ask, Miss French, for you see – “

A loud crash and harshly spoken words interrupted the Sonny’s speech. Gold recognized the Hindi dialect, but beyond that he wasn’t sure what was being said.

“I believe we shall allow ourselves to go down a different path to the market. It may prove to be more peaceful and less violent way to go.” Sonny suggested, as he and Sunaina herded Belle and Gold in the opposite direction of the crash.

 

* * *

 

The sky began to darken as they reached the marketplace, but it was difficult to tell with all the lights and activity going about.

Belle looked around in awe as she took in all the sights and smells swirling around her. Sonny and Sunaina guided them through the throng of people as they thoroughly explained all the different traditions that were being celebrated.

Every so often, Belle would glance at her mysterious new travel companion, Mr. Gold. She couldn’t quite bring herself to refer to him as Rupert in her head. He was quiet and mysterious, and exuded an undeniable air of authority.

 It surprised her, considering how he was limping through the city in well-tailored suit. She wasn’t sure how he could tolerate the heat wearing all those layers. Of course, it wasn’t like Sonny gave either one of his guests any time to get settled and change their clothes. Belle was still wearing the jeans and light sweater she wore on the plane from Boston to India. She would have changed when she was in London, but she barely had time to get to her connecting flight.

Sonny and Sunaina guided them to a small outdoor restaurant to give them time to rest. They told them they would go and order for them, leaving Belle and Gold alone at the table.

“So, Mr. Gold, what brings you to India?” Belle asked cordially.

“Business.” He replied.

“What kind of business?” she prompted.

“Spices.”

“Spices?”

“It’s a rather profitable enterprise, Miss French,” Gold said curtly. “And I’m all for a good profit.”

“Belle.”

Gold tilted his head. “I’m sorry?”

“I’d rather you call me Belle. Everyone back home calls me ‘Miss French’.” She explained.

“Very well then, Belle,” he said quietly. “If that is the case, I’d like for you to call me Rupert. Or Gold. Whichever you prefer.”

Belle smiled at his stammering. She could tell he wasn’t used to being so…speechless. Less in control. Perhaps it was the less than business-like atmosphere.


	3. Choti Diwali

Belle woke up feeling the full force of jet lag overwhelm her. It was a terrible feeling to want to continue sleeping, but also be unable to fall asleep to begin with. Belle rolled over and read the glowing blue numbers of her travel alarm clock.

**_5:45 AM_ **

She groaned and rolled over again. She attempted to sleep, but despite the jet lag, Belle decided it wasn’t worth it and decided to get up.

She swung her legs off the tiny bed, reached for a light-weight sweater and stood up. She walked out of her room, hoping that a short walk around the military-like compound of the hotel would help wake her up.

Belle wandered around aimlessly, until she reached a staircase leading to the fourth floor balcony. She followed the stairs up until she saw a shadow standing behind the balcony.

With some hesitation, she stepped closer only to run into the glass sliding door with a loud _oomph_. The sound made the shadow turn and limp towards sliding the door. The light of the sunrise illuminated the face of her mysterious companion as he slid open the door.

“Oh! Mr. Gold, I’m so sorry…” Belle mumbled.

“It’s quite alright, dearie.” He growled before limping away.

Belle was slightly taken aback by his tone, but quickly shook it off and strode to the balcony, standing as far from Mr. Gold as she could. She wasn’t about to let a grumpy old beast like Gold to ruin the view of a rather spectacular sunrise.

Belle looked out of the corner of her eye at him.

“Oh, there two of you are!” a voice cut through the tense silence.

Both Belle and Gold turned rapidly around to see Sunaina, smiling mysteriously.

“Am I interrupting something?” she asked.

“No.” both Belle and Gold answered.

Sunaina bit her lip to contain her amusement. “If that is the case, then please follow me as I tell you about our plans today.”

With a sweeping gesture of her hand, she turned on her heel and walked to the narrow staircase. Belle and Gold looked at each other once more. Like yesterday, Gold had Belle walk ahead of them until they caught up with their tour guide in a single file line.

“Although it is not a common practice in Jaipur, many people follow the tradition of bathing early in the morning on Choti Diwali, so as to cleanse ourselves before the main festival tomorrow." Sunaina explained as she led them to the ground floor and through another door next to the sitting room.

It led into a short hallway, which Sunaina stood with Sonny in the middle of said hallway. She gestured to the two doors beside her.

“Mr. Gold, if you would please go through this door with Sonny,” she pointed to a dark brown door to her right. “And Miss French, if you would once more follow me through this one.” Sunaina added, pointing to a lighter colored door directly next to it.

Belle and Gold glanced at each other with trepidation. Belle recalled reading about this particular ritual, but she didn’t think that they would be going through with it.

Realizing that they were both standing stock-still for too long, Belle pulled back her shoulders and walked rather decisively towards the door. She saw Sunaina smile reassuringly as she followed Belle through the door. She lifted a terracotta pink silk robe off of the back of the door before turning back to face her guest.

“You can change your clothes behind the screen, then I shall explain the ritual.” Sunaina said quietly.

Belle nodded, took the proffered robe and went ahead and changed.

“There is a paste next to the bathtub, Miss Belle,” Sunaina explained next to the changing screen. “You’ll also find different oils. That is what is used to bathe in and celebrate on this day.”

“What’s the significance of all this?” Belle asked, stepping out from behind the screen.

“Well, the story goes that the demon king Narakasur, ruler of Pragjyotishpur, after defeating Lord Indra, had snatched away the magnificent earrings of Aditi, the Mother Goddess, the ruler of Suraloka and a relative of Satyabhama, Lord Krishna's wife and he imprisoned sixteen thousand daughters of the gods and saints in his harem,” Sunaina described. “On coming to know about this, Satyabhama was enraged by Narakasura's malevolence towards women, and she appealed to Krishna to give her the golden chance to destroy Narakasura. The legend also says that Narakasura was given a curse that he would be killed by a woman. Krishna granted Satyabhama a boon to fight with Narakasura. With Krishna as the charioteer, Satyabhama entered the battle field. During the war, Krishna swooned for a while, a preordained divinely act adopted to empower Satyabhama to kill the demon. After Narakasura was beheaded, the imprisoned women were released, and Krishna accepted to marry them.   
  
“So on the day previous to Narakachaturdashi, Lord Krishna's divine intervention led to the killing of the demon, Narakasura and liberation of the imprisoned damsels as well as recovery of the precious earrings of Aditi. As a symbol of that victory Lord Krishna smeared his forehead with the demon king's blood. Krishna returned home in the very early morning of the Narakachaturdashi day. The womenfolk massaged scented oil to his body and gave him a good bath to wash away the filth from his body. Since then the custom of taking bath before sunrise on this day has become a traditional practice specially in Maharashtra.”

Belle stared at the other women for a long moment. She wasn’t quite expecting _that_ much of an explanation. But she loved it all the same.

“I shall leave you to it, then, Miss Belle.” Sunaina smiled and bowed before leaving Belle alone in the bath room.

 

* * *

 

An hour later, and both Belle and Gold came out, back in the clothes they came in with, of their separate bath rooms at the same time. They glanced at each other before quickly looking away again. They both started to walk down the hallway back to the lobby.

Belle turned her head to see that Gold was following her up the narrow staircase. She turned back and sighed. She wasn’t sure how she felt about him walking behind her, especially since she was still in her nightgown. Thankfully, she brought the one that went down to her knees. She could imagine herself dying of embarrassment if she had worn one of her more risqué nighties.

Halfway up, Belle somehow lost her footing and started to fall backwards. She gave a squeak of surprise, just as she heard something clatter down the stairs and she felt a pair of arms wrap around her knees and back. Belle knew that Gold had miraculously caught her, and slowly glanced up and to see him look as surprised as she felt.

“Thank you.” She breathed.

They stared at each other for a long, awkward amount of time. Finally, he nodded, then he quickly but gently set her down on the stairs above him. Belle smoothed out her gown before moving up the steps two at a time until she reached the landing where her room was.

She slammed the door behind her before leaning on it. She thought back to the sunrise and the walk back to her room and then her fall. All of it filled with tension. But now, it felt like a _different_ type of tension.

 _What the hell was_ that _?!_ She asked herself.

Belle shook her head, then decided to get dressed for the day.


	4. Lakshmi-Puja

Gold had spent most of yesterday and this morning thinking about Belle, his unlikely travelling companion. Perhaps “unlikely” was the wrong word. “Unwilling” wasn’t right either. He ran a hand through his hair, trying to get the thoughts out of his mind. Miss Belle French was nothing more than someone who happens to be in the same place at the same time as him.

_Nothing. More._

Except that as they were walking through the thick throng of people in the marketplace, trying but failing to listen to Sonny, he was, once again, trailing behind the woman with brown hair. He could hear her conversing amicably with Sunaina, despite all the chaos going on around them.

“Mr. Gold! Mr. Gold!” Sonny called out. Gold snapped out of his musings and pushed his way to where the younger man was standing. Sonny gestured to an older, bald-headed man with a trimmed mustache, who was standing next to a multitude of large, colorful mounds of spices beneath a purple and gold tent.

“Mr. Gold, may I humbly present Mr. Maruthi, the best and most successful spice trader in Jaipur.” Sonny said. He repeated a similar introduction in Hindi. Gold hooked his cane on his elbow, pressed his palms together and bowed. Mr. Mauthi copied the movement.

“I know little English, Mr. Gold,” Mr. Maruthi said. “Enough for our…erm…transaction?”

Gold inclined his head. “Mr. Kapoor will remain with us if we start to misunderstand each other.” Gold said.

Mr. Maruthi nodded, then began to describe each spice in his stall.

 

* * *

 

A few stalls down, Belle observed the exchange between Gold, Sonny and another Indian man. She wished she could hear what they were discussing.

Although Gold was a man of few words, he was rather eloquent when he spoke. It was like reading an old book that takes a while to get through the many layers the text may have, but after some time, effort and patience, it enlightens the reader.

“Miss Belle? What do you think of this pattern? I think the blue would look lovely on you.” Sunaina asked.

Belle turned her attention back to the tour guide. She looked down and saw the blue and silver _sari_ fabric in Sunaina’s arms.

Belle nodded, then started to look through the piles of fabric in an effort to distract herself.

“What about the yellow?” Belle asked, lifting up another bundle.

“That would look nice as well.” Sunaina mused. She stared at it a moment longer. “Actually, that would look more lovely on you than the blue.”

Belle smiled. “So you think I should get this one?”

Sunaina nodded profusely. Belle’s smile widened and she nodded in return.

“Could you ask her how much it is?” Belle wondered.

Sunaina nodded again, and went ahead and asked the stall’s owner. She turned back to Belle with a smile. “1,340 Rupee. About 20 US dollars I believe.”

Belle felt her smile widen. “Tell her I’ll take it.”

 

* * *

 

“I did not think that the Western saying of ‘women taking forever’ was true.” Sonny huffed. “Miss Belle and Sunaina are making proof of it.”

Gold gave the younger man a wry smile and shook his head. He was anxious as well, if only to get the evening’s festivities over with as soon as possible. He pulled at the high collar of the goldish-green satin Achkan jacket he had bought when he first arrived in India in a vain effort to cool down from the unusually warm evening.

The sound of footsteps took Sonny and Gold’s attention. They saw Sunaina rushing down in a rich blue and purple sari and richly adorned in gold jewelry.

“I’m so sorry! Miss Belle was having some trouble with her dress. She’ll be down in just a moment.” Sunaina explained.

Sonny rolled his eyes, mumbling something in Hindi that caused Sunaina to scowl at him.

“No matter, so long as she gets here soon.” Gold said.

“I hope you weren’t talking about me.” A voice said on the stairs.

Everyone turned their attention to see Belle, standing one of the middle steps above everyone. She looked as if she was trying really hard not to laugh.

But Gold barely noticed.

All he could see was a beautiful, dark-haired and blue-eyed woman, who was draped in gold and yellow, smiling down at everyone. If he didn’t know any better, he would have thought that she was a goddess. Picking up her skirts, she continued down the stairs until she was with the small group of people. Someone cleared their throat, drawing Gold’s attention back to the present.

“I think we should get going.” Sunaina said, giving him a knowing smile.

He narrowed his eyes slightly at her, but Sunaina was ignoring him, arguing once more with Sonny as they started to walk out the door. She brushed past Gold and gave a subtle nod towards Belle. Miraculously, he got the hint.

Gold turned to Belle, and lifted his arm. “Shall we?” he asked.

Belle smiled more widely this time, clearly pleased. “We shall.” She replied, curling her hand around his arm.

For the first time in a long time, Gold managed a genuine smile.

 

* * *

 

The small group had found a relatively quiet pavilion to overlook the ceremonies at the club the tour service was a part of. Belle and Gold stood next to each other as they observed the proceedings.

“You know what I find fascinating about this particular day?” Belle asked suddenly. Gold mumbled a no.

“They not only celebrate Lakshmi, but her other forms as well,” she said in lieu of an answer. “If I remember correctly, there are three. Mahalakshmi, the goddess wealth and money, Mahakali, but I don’t actually remember what she represents and, my personal favorite, Mahasaraswati, the goddess of books and learning.”

Gold chuckled. “It appears to be rather auspicious of us to be celebrating this particular goddess.” He observed.

“Oh?”

“If I recall, you mentioned our first night that you are a librarian,” Gold explained. Belle nodded for him to continue. “And I happen to be in the business of making money. It’s…ironic, I suppose.”

Belle laughed. “You’re absolutely right. Perhaps she intervened so we could be here during this special time.”

Gold laughed again, nodding in agreement.

They fell silent once more, enjoying the scene before them. It was so bright, that it was hard to tell that it was night.

“The lights look like stars.” Belle said quietly.

She glanced sideways and saw that Gold was no longer looking at the festivities below. Instead, he was gazing at her in absolute wonder.

She turned until she faced him entirely, lifting her eyebrow at him. “What?” she asked.

Gold shook his head, turning his attention back to the crowd. “Nothing.”

Belle bit her lower lip. Her stomach felt funny, but she hadn’t eaten anything yet. She heard him inch closer to her, and slowly rest his hand on hers. That simple touch made her heart beat a bit faster.

That was feeling that wasn’t there before.

 

* * *

 

 

Sunaina squealed and clapped her hands excitedly as she saw Gold inch closer and put his hand over Belle's.

Sonny looked at her, clearly puzzled by her reaction. “Why do you sound like a pig?” he asked in Hindi.

Sunaina glared at him. “Are you _blind?_ Don’t you even see what is happening?”

Sonny shook his head with trepidation. Sunaina threw up her hands and groan. Then she walked away.

“You are absolutely hopeless, Sonny.” She grumbled.


	5. Padwa

Belle and Sunaina walked through the ruins of Amer Fort, while Gold and Sonny remained in the city conducting business.

Every few minutes, Sunaina would give interesting tidbits about the site, but Belle was barely listening. All she could think about was that weird energy that surged between her and Gold last night. If one could call it “energy”, but Belle couldn’t think of what else to call it.

“You know next year, Sonny and I will be able to truly celebrate Padwa.”

Belle snapped out of her musings and turned to Sunaina. “I’m sorry, what did you say?”

“Oh, I was just saying, that during the next Diwali festival, Sonny and I will be able to celebrate this day.” Sunaina explained.

“What’s today? Padwa?” Belle asked.

Sunaina nodded. “Indeed. Padwa is the day to honor the symbolic love and devotion between a husband and wife.”

“You love Sonny very much, don’t you?”

“Yes. Even if he is an idiot most of the time.”

They shared a laugh before falling into silence once more. They stopped near a balcony and looked out at the cityscape of Jaipur. The sun was high above them, making what started out as relatively cool day feel smoldering instead.

“How did you know?” Belle asked suddenly.

Sunaina raised her eyebrows in surprise and tilted her head. “How did I know?” she wondered.

“How did you know that you love Sonny?”

Sunaina smiled knowingly. “I’m not sure, actually. It was a feeling that I had, one that slowly grew until I was entirely consumed by it.”

Belle nodded slowly, nibbling her bottom lip. That wasn’t the answer she was looking for.

“Why did you want to know?” the other woman asked.

“It’s just…I…I don’t know.” Belle explained lamely.

Sunaina giggled. “I think I might know, Miss Belle.”

Belle stood straighter and turned to face Sunaina fully. “What?”

“You’re falling in love with Mr. Gold, are you not?” Sunaina said. “It has been very plain that you two seem to really like each other. I think Mr. Gold might feel the same way about you.”

Belle groaned and dropped her head into her hands. “Talk about timing…” she mumbled.

“Sorry?”

“It’s just…this…whatever it is that Rupert – err, I mean, Mr. Gold – and I have is just so…so…so inopportune!” Belle lamented.  “I mean, I’m leaving the day after tomorrow, and he’s staying here for another month.”

Sunaina looked at her thoughtfully. Then she reached for Belle’s hand and held it gently between her own. “Then you should tell him.”

“What?”

“You should tell Mr. Gold how you feel. And if he doesn’t feel the same way, which I doubt completely, then at least you won’t leave India wondering ‘what if?’.”

Belle felt tears form in her eyes as she quickly nodded her understanding. Sunaina gave her hand a quick squeeze before releasing it.

“Come, let’s go finish the tour.” Sunaina suggested.


	6. Bhai Dooj

Gold watched Belle and Sonny bid Sunaina farewell as she left for the day to go celebrate Bhai Dooj with her family. She had told them that the last day of Diwali is focused on brothers and sisters, so she was following the tradition of visiting her brother. Sonny wasn’t going to celebrate because he didn’t have any sisters.

After Sunaina had left, Belle informed the others that she would be spending the rest of the day in her room.

When she passed Gold, she gave him a weird look and unusual smile. Her expression disconcerted him, and he spent the remainder of the day thinking about her.

Apparently, it was driving him to the point of distraction, because Sonny had startled him by asking if he was alright. Gold had stood up from his seat so suddenly that he somehow managed to trip over himself and knock his cane across the room all at the same time.

Sonny was noticeably embarrassed as he went to fetch the fallen cane. “I do apologize, Mr. Gold,” Sonny said. “I did not mean to startle you. It was just…” he trailed off.

“Just _what_ , Mr. Kapoor?” Gold snarled, snatching the cane out of his hand.

“Pardon me for saying so, sir, but you haven’t been quite yourself as of late.”

Gold narrowed his eyes. “You haven’t known me for very long. How do you even know if my behavior is any different?” he countered.

Sonny was, for once, at a loss for words.  He stood dumbfounded as Gold made his away across the sitting room to the door.

Gold was just about to cross the threshold when Sonny stopped him with an uncharacteristically personal question.

“What are you going to do about Miss French?”

Gold froze for a brief moment, then turned slowly to face the younger man. He looked surprised by his bold question, but he wasn’t about to back down under Gold’s unrelenting gaze.

“And what do you mean by _that?_ ” Gold asked.

“Well…this is mostly the own childish and girlish observations of Sunaina, but it appears that you and Miss French share strong feelings for each other,” Sonny replied. “And she is returning to America tomorrow, and you will be returning to Mumbai. Sunaina appears to feel that if you don’t say _something_ to Miss French before you both leave…you might regret it.”

It was silent for a long time. Neither man moved after the last word was said. Finally, Gold gave a faint nod and left the room.

As he walked up the stairs, Gold mulled over what Sonny had told them.

It was a positively ridiculous notion that someone as intelligent and beautiful as Belle would ever feel anything for an old beast like him. Especially someone who he has known for barely a week. But, at the same time, Gold felt like he had known her for years. During the short time they spent together, he felt he had learned about her, even if they were brief glimpses of the person inside.

Gold suddenly found himself back on the balcony, and once again he wasn’t alone. Belle stood close to the railing, obviously staring at the cityscape one last time.

Now was his chance. It seemed that fate wanted him to be brave, to quit being such a coward.

“Rupert? I thought you were in a meeting.”

Gold looked up and saw that Belle had apparently noticed him standing awkwardly in the threshold.

“I—I was. We finished just a few minutes ago.” Gold said lamely, limping towards her.

Belle smiled. “Obviously.”

A heavy, stifling silence surrounded them. The only sounds to be heard were the shuffling of their feet, the light breeze blowing through and the active chatter of the city below.

“Rupert – “ Belle started to say.

“Belle, I – “ Gold began.

They laughed when they realized they were about to talk at once.

“Please, after you.” Gold indicated.

Belle walked until she was two feet away from him. She nibbled her bottom lip, a nervous, contemplative habit that he noticed she has, and looked intently at her shoes. Without preamble, she raised her head, squared her shoulders and looked Gold straight in the eye.

“Rupert, I think I love…well, not _love_ , but I certainly care a great deal about you. And I think it might lead to me loving you.” Belle said.

If it weren’t for his cane, Gold felt he might have fully collapsed to the ground. His breath caught in his throat.

When he didn’t say anything, Belle apparently took his silence as a rejection. He glanced up at her and saw that tears were forming in her eyes.

Their eyes met again, and Belle released a broken sob and rushed past him.

He wanted to go after her, to reassure her he felt the same way, but he couldn’t seem to make his body move.

 _What a coward I am._ Gold thought bitterly.


	7. Epilogue

Belle returned home to Storybrooke, feeling bittersweet. Her week in India was absolutely incredible: celebrating a beautiful, magical festival, meeting interesting people, and, she dared thought, fell in love like in those silly romance comedies she and Ruby always enjoy. It was surreal.

She spent the next few days apologizing to nearly every citizen in the tiny Maine town for abandoning them during an important event, and quickly started making amends by doing extra hours of unpaid volunteer work to make up for it.

Exactly one week after that awkward, heartbreaking encounter with Rupert on the balcony, Belle found herself sitting forlornly at the circulation desk of the library, recounting the events.

Belle couldn’t figure out why she ran away so quickly, or why he didn’t say anything, or even why he didn’t go after her. If he had gone after her, she would’ve known where she stood with him. Instead, she left India feeling both fulfilled and confused.

Sighing heavily, she hopped off her stool, collected the books that sat in the return bin and placed them on the cart. She was just about to push the cart down the History section when she heard the doors open. Belle groaned internally, and turned to politely tell whatever patron deemed it necessary to come and disturb her depressed peace to leave.

She opened her mouth only to have the words get stuck in her throat.

Standing before her, wearing the familiar three-piece suit and tie, was Rupert Gold.

“Hey.” He greeted breathily.

“Hey.” She replied.

Gold took a few hesitant steps towards her. He stopped when he reached her, placing his cane in front of him with his hands stacked.

“What are you doing here, in Storybrooke of all places?” Belle demanded.

“I could give you a hundred mundane reasons – Maine is a good place to set up a spice trade, I was in the neighborhood, I own property here – but none of it would be the actual reason as to why I’m here.” Gold said.

He took another step forward and reached a hand forward, his fingertips barely brushing her cheek.

“I’m here to tell you that I’m in love with you,” he whispered, smiling sadly at her. “And to apologize for not saying so sooner. I understand if you no longer feel the same way, but I couldn’t live with myself without telling you.”

Gold’s hand retreated back. He turned and started to walk out of her life for good.

No _way_ was that going to happen, not after that.

Without thought, she ran towards him. She grabbed his arm, forcing him to stop. He turned back to her once more. Then she grabbed his lapels and planted her lips firmly on his.

She felt him stiffen at first, then he relaxed, dropping his cane and wrapped his arms around her. Belle opened her mouth slightly to deepen the kiss, an act which Gold happily followed.

After a few long moments of kissing, they finally released each other. They were breathing heavily.

“Do you like burgers?” Belle suddenly asked.

Gold stared at her with wide-eyed surprise, then laughed, nodding. “Indeed I do.”

“My friend’s grandmother owns a diner. I think I told you about it. Granny’s makes a great burger. And it’s just around the corner.”

Gold released her and lifted up his left elbow. “Shall we, then?”

Belle smiled widely as she wrapped her hand around his upper arm. “We shall.”

**_The End_ **


End file.
